. First Consolidated Welding Suit Ends in Defense Verdict
"After deliberating for more than 24 hours over five days, an Ohio jury returned a defense verdict in the first of several thousand consolidated suits claiming that welding fumes cause severe brain damage. The 10-person federal jury found that the welding rod manufacturers did not fail to warn of the potential hazards of the rods and, as a result, never addressed the issue of whether the fumes can cause neurological damage. Ernest Solis, 57, a retired welder at a Texas navy base, claimed that exposure to manganese fumes from the rods caused him to develop Parkinson's disease."